MdTA: Like Tolls, Traffic Has Increased

Data indicates overall traffic volume is up throughout the MdTA's toll facilities.

It's too early to tell how the increase in tolls on Maryland roads will impact travel. But Randy Brown, executive secretary of the Maryland Transportation Authority, said traffic throughout the MdTA system has actually increased since the rates went up in October 2011. The Hatem Bridge spanning the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville was the topic of much debate in the lead-up to the toll increases. The outrage wasn't so much over the rate increase, but more for the removal of the popular AVI decal program, which enabled motorists to pay a flat, yearly rate to travel the bridge. That system is still in use through September 2012, but will be phased out in favor of the E-ZPass system that is used throughout the state and…

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Hatem E-ZPass Available, Active on Feb. 1

The MdTA will hold open houses in Havre de Grace and Perryville in February.

The transition from the sticker to the transponder is under way at the Hatem Bridge toll plaza. On Feb. 1, the Maryland Transportation Authority will discontinue AVI decal sales in travel lanes and begin E-ZPass sales. Toll Lane 3 at the Hatem Bridge toll plaza switches from AVI decals only to E-ZPass only on Feb. 1. The final day to use AVI decals is Sept. 30, 2012. Decals with a January 2012 expiration date will be valid through Feb. 29, 2012 to allow motorists to consider E-ZPass options (see below). The MdTA will also hold community open houses in February—from 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Havre de Grace Activity Center, and from 5-7 p.m. on Feb. 21 at Perryville High School. Snow dates are set for Feb. 22 (Havre de Grace) and Feb. 23 (…

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Sean Welsh

12:50 pm on Monday, February 13, 2012

Hi everyone! We'll have a live chat today at 1 p.m. with an MdTA official chiming in on the E-ZPass transition. http://patch.com/A-qNCN Thanks, Sean   more ›

Forton Draws One Up for Ravens

Havre de Grace artist Shawn Forton has parlayed his love for drawing and sports into a new venture—portraits of Baltimore's football stars.

When he met Shawn Forton recently, Terrell Suggs wanted to shake Forton's hand. Four times. The Havre de Grace artist's portrait of the Ravens star linebacker was so impressive to Suggs that the candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year couldn't stop thanking Forton. And in a continued show of appreciation and awe for Forton's work, Suggs requested 10 copies of the drawing. Forton, a 2002 graduate of Havre de Grace High School and a member of the Susquehanna Hose Company, has always been an incredible artist. Recently, he's taken his love for drawing and sports and combined them in a series of Ravens-related portraits. Ironically, it all started with a commissioned Steelers drawing. "After I was done doing it, I liked how it turned …

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SWIMMING: Mustangs Dunk Warriors, Huskies

C. Milton Wright defeated both Havre de Grace and Patterson Mill in the pool Friday evening.

The Warriors quest for an undefeated season in the pool came to an end Friday night, when C. Milton Wright swept a dual meet against Havre de Grace and Patterson Mill. The Mustangs upset the Warriors' boys team, which defeated the Huskies boys team. Havre de Grace defeated Patterson Mill overall, but the Mustangs came out on top against both county opponents (see attached PDF file for scores and individual event results). Did you attend Friday's meet? Tell us about it in the comments below. Have photos or video? Share those by adding them to the post, as well.

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VIEWFINDER: Mornings in Havre de Grace

Ed Rybczynski shares sunrise photos taken recently from the Havre de Grace shoreline.

  Photographer Ed Rybczynski—whose everyday images can be found on his website—shared photos of the sun rising over the Susquehanna River. He recently surpassed 300 days of shooting sunrises in Havre de Grace. Ed was featured on the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website for photographing six months of Havre de Grace sunrises, which can be seen in full on his Facebook page: Havre de Grace Sunrise 365. Ed has also created a calendar, which is for sale in local shops.

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Ed Rybczynski

10:44 am on Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Nancy I'm glad you like the photos.   more ›

Live Traffic: Holiday Commute Updates from Patch

Wednesday is generally regarded as one of the busiest travel days of the year.

Before you close the laptop and head out on your holiday travels Wednesday, you might want to take a peek at the local traffic reports. Thanks to Mapquest, Patch is able to bring you a traffic widget that provides live updates for commuters. We've fixed the opening screen to Harford County, but you can easily zoom in and out, and scroll around to whatever patch of pavement has you concerned. Have a major roadway catastrophe you want to share with your fellow commuters? Leave a comment below. Or, hit one of our Facebook pages—Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace—to notify the other turkeys trying to avoid traffic. Safe travels. Happy Thanksgiving from your Harford County Patches.

Aberdeen Wins First Annual Public Works 'Roadeo'

Harford County Department of Public Works employees from three municipalities competed in a multi-stage competition.

Training for Harford County public works employees got competitive on Friday. Aberdeen hosted a 10-stage course at Ripken Stadium, where department directors graded workers from Aberdeen, Havre de Grace and Bel Air. "This is more of a training day, but it has a bit of fun," said Matt Lapinsky, Aberdeen director of public works. Final scores for the first annual "Roadeo" were as follows:

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Occupy Marchers Leave Havre de Grace For D.C.

Protesters stayed at the St. John's Episcopal Church parish hall Thursday into Friday and will travel to Joppatowne on Friday, and then to Baltimore and eventually to Washington.

They came, they stayed and then they left. A group of approximately 30-40 Occupy protesters marched through Cecil County Thursday, took an MTA bus across the Hatem Bridge and marched into downtown Havre de Grace on Thursday night. The group stayed at the St. John's Episcopal Church parish hall, and departed Friday morning before 10 a.m. Patch caught up with the Occupy members marching down Route 40 around 10:15 Friday morning. They will pass through Aberdeen with the goal of finding a safe place to stay overnight near the Harford-Baltimore County line Friday night. The group intends to visit the Occupy Baltimore encampment this weekend, before marching to Washington, D.C., for what one marcher called "a huge rally" in the nation's capital…

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PHOTOS: The 99 Percent is in Havre de Grace

Occupy protesters are marching from New York to Washington, D.C. and stopping in Havre de Grace Thursday night.

Havre de Grace is in the crosshairs of a nationwide Occupy movement Thursday night. A group of between 20 and 50 protesters marched through Cecil County Thursday, utilizing both MD Route 7 and U.S. Route 40. They are expected to cross the Hatem Bridge around 8 p.m. Patch contributors Ed and Adam Rybczynski caught the group in Cecil County and spent some time with the marchers. Patch will provide ongoing coverage and photo uploads of the protesters visit to Havre de Grace. Have photos of the group? Add them to our photos by clicking below.

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Karl Schuub

11:32 am on Friday, December 2, 2011

Perfect Wendy. The fact that some very wealthy people in the top 5% income bracket paid little by way of taxes is acknowledged by anyone with a brain. Using that fact to broad brush an entire group of people in order to orchestrate public support for the seizure of thier money and property regardless of how they got it or how honestly they arrived in that income bracket makes you not exactly a …   more ›